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Laila Ali was just a teenager when she went into the family business of knockouts, following in the footsteps of her father, legendary boxer Muhammad Ali, and turned pro at age 21. However, when it comes to her own small children, Ali has a different attitude.

“Children aren’t old enough to really understand” what they’re getting into, says Ali, now 33. “I do think it’s a little crazy, and I’ve never encouraged people to box.”

Her protective attitude falls in line with a new policy statement against boxing for children and teens from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Canadian Paediatric Society. The statement cites serious risks of face and head injuries, including concussion.

“We want children and teens to actively pursue sport and recreation, but boxing is not a good option," according to Claire LeBlanc, MD, FAAP, co-author of the statement and chair of the Canadian Paediatric Society Healthy Active Living and Sports Medicine Committee, in a press release. “We recommend young people participate in sports where the prime focus is not deliberate blows to the head.”

Ali thinks the organizations were smart to take a stance. “You’re getting hit in the head, so who can say it’s not dangerous?” says Ali. “It definitely is.”

Ali’s last fight was four years ago. She’s a health and fitness advocate, former Dancing with the Stars contestant, and currently the host of Everyday Health, a new television show about extraordinary everyday Americans who are health heroes, which premieres on September 3 on local ABC stations.

Ali says that determined children and teens will still find their way into the ring. “The reality is that a lot of boxers, including some of the world champions, start at very young ages,” she says. Her father took up the sport when he was just 12 years old. It’s currently estimated that thousands of children participate in boxing across North America. In 2008, more than 18,000 people under age 19 were registered with USA Boxing.

The Dangers of Boxing

While data on children’s injuries from boxing is limited, one government database shows 1,263 boxing-related injuries in children and teens ages 5 to 14 and 8,082 injuries in teens and adults ages 15 to 24 in the United States in 2007.

Other research has found that 70 percent of boxing injuries (among both amateur and professional boxers) were to the head; concussions were the most common, followed by cuts and fractures.

The AAP says that concussions are particularly worrisome for children and teens because their young brains are more vulnerable to injury and take longer to recover than adults do. According to the policy statement, “there is evidence that amateur boxers are at risk of structural brain injuries, cognitive abnormalities, and neurologic deficits from the sport.”

What if Ali’s Kids Want to Box?

Ali’s decision to take up boxing was more like fate than will. “I had in my blood this boxing gene. I did what I wanted to do, and I followed my heart,” she explains. “But I wouldn’t want my kids to do it.” Ali has two children with husband and former football player Curtis Conway, son Curtis Muhammad Conway, Jr. (they call him CJ), 3, and daughter Sydney, 5 months.

“I’m not going to encourage them and I’m not going to expose them to it,” she says.

Instead, she plans to encourage them to play tennis, golf, and team sports. The AAP endorses sports and activities that don’t emphasize intentional blows to the head, such as swimming, basketball, and volleyball.

“That’s what I missed, and I regret that I didn’t play sports because I think I would’ve done something other than boxing if I had realized that I was an athlete sooner,” she says.

But what if the day comes when her kids want to follow in their mother’s (and grandfather’s) footsteps? “Then I would have to support them,” she says. “But I definitely am going to try to do everything I can so they don’t turn down that road.”

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